Runaways - A Dan Howell Fanfiction
by llamas-and-bullets
Summary: Carmen hates her life. As simple as that. Her parents are blind to the fact that her 'perfect' sister is bullying her and all she want to do is get away. What happens when one night when she runs away from home, injured? Will she be left on the street or taken in? - Contains self-harm and abuse, could be triggering
1. Chapter 1

Carmen's POV

I tugged on my hoodie, sighing. Another day of school, another day of getting shoved in lockers and another day of having so many insults thrown at me I actually started to believe them. I winced when the hoodie rubbed against my wrists, and when I rolled the sleeve up gently, I could see the cuts from last night were inflamed. I tugged the sleeves back down, ignoring the shooting pain up my arm and made my way downstairs and out the door as fast as possible, in an attempt to avoid my family.

I tucked a lock of red hair out of my eyes and continued to stare at the dirty, gum littered pavement. Soon, I found myself waiting at the bus stop with a few other kids my age. Thankfully they ignored me until my sister arrived, but after that, all hell broke lose.

"Carmen, you left without breakfast today," She informed me in an annoying nasally voice. "What are you trying to do, starve yourself? Even if you do you still won't look pretty." The small group that had hathered around us laughed. Anger flared in my chest and I had to bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from yelling at her not to make a joke out of real problems.

I managed to keep quiet until the bus arrived. I got on last, hoping to avoid confrontation and sat as near to the front as I could, knowing that everyone else would sit at the back.

The journey was bearable, I got a few peices of crumpled up paper thrown at my head, most having a very predictable phrase written on is suck as ' _emo'_ or ' _kill yourself'_. The letters didn't really affect me, it showed that the person was too much of a coward to say it to my face and instead, chose to hide behind a piece of paper.

As soon as the bus stopped in fron of the school, I was off, hoping to avoid people in general. I was about to go to my classroom, when I realised I had to get books from my locker. I sighed and began heading in the same direction as everyone else.

I fought my way through the heaving crowds using my elbows and finally ended up at my locker. I quickly gathered my books and headed over to the art block where I spent most of my time. Once I was there, I began a sketch of a girl. It was all in black and white except for the headphones.

I had just finished the outline when the first bell rang. I sighed and packed up my things, heading to my first lesson.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, I got shoved into lockers a few times, had hateful names thrown at me, but nothing I wasn't used to. I was walking home when I decided I wanted to do something different. I quickly walked into town and found what I was looking for - black and green hair dye.

Once I payed for the items, I hid them in my bag and and ran home. As soon as I was through the door, I hurried upstairs, and set to work. I had always hated my ginger hair.

An hour later, I was drying my hair, hoping it had worked, so I could put the green in it tomorrow. I smiled at my reflection when I saw that it looked fine. However, the smile immediately dropped off my face when my mum shouted down that it was dinner time.

"Can I have dinner in my room?" I shouted down the stairs.

"Yeah," she replied, not caring what I did. I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my nerves, and tied my hair up into a ponytail so it was less obvious. I slowly began to make my way downstairs. I could see my family in the living room and quickly dashed to get my plate. I was almost out of the door when my Dad called my name.

I turned around, almost shaking.

"What on God's earth have you done to your hair?" He bellowed. I gulped and looked down at the shaking plate of food in my hands.

"I-I just..." I stammered, not having an explaination.

"Well?" He shouted again. This time, I just stayed silent. "You have completely crossed the line this time, young lady!" Then I heard a slap and pain flared up my cheek like a fire.

I gasped dropping the plate I was holding. He had never done that before. My brain cut out, and before I knew what was happening, I was out of the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Carmen's POV

I pulled my hair out of it's ponytail roughly, causing myself to wince but I just ignored it and finally let the tears spill over. I leaned against the wall behind me, my legs no longer able to support me, and went over the actions of the day. I knew I would have to go back eventually, but for now I was just happy to be alone with my thoughts.

"Look who it is!" I heard a nasally voice say. I looked down at the ground until a pair of cherry pink stilettos came into view and stood on my toes. "Oops, sorry." She said, not an ounce of guilt in her voice. "Why aren't you at home crying, as usual?" She asked spitefuly. I just ignored her. "Answer me bitch!" She yelled, kicking my in the shin.

"Just leave me alone Monica," I sighed. I looked up and saw her glaring at me.

"What if I don't want to?" She challenged me.

I glared at her, not in the mood. "What if I want you to fuck off?"

She stared at me open mouthed, not believing that I had said that, before kicking my stomach. Hard. I winced but didn't give her the satisfaction of more tears. I just wrapped my arms around my stomach and curled up in a ball. "Don't ignore me!" She shouted. "I can do worse and you know it!" I just stayed silent. "Fine," she said smugly. I heard her laugh bitterly before she stood on my waist - with her heels. I choked back a sob when I felt it pierce my skin and I knew I would have to get it looked at by a doctor.

She crouched down next to me and lifted my chin up with two perfectly manicured nails. She pouted. "Now look at that - you got blood all over my new heels!" I just glared while she laughed at me. She stood up fluidly and after one last kick to my stomach, she left.

I stayed in the position i was in until my side began to ache and I pushed myself up and leant against the wall. I wasn't crying as much now, the sobs had subsided and there were just silent tears running down my face. I began to wonder if my life would ever improve. I wanted a loving family where I wouldn't be scared to so much as look into my parent's eyes - was that too much to ask?

I began to cry again, using my thick black hair as curtains around my face, hoping no one would notice me. The street was hardly busy though so I don't know why I tried. Not that anyone would care anyway.

I watched the cars drive by and thought back to my childhood when everything was happy, trying to figure out why my parents hated me. Then it all came back and I wondered how I could ever forget.

 _10 Years Ago_

 _"Come on," I giggled, dragging my sister down the footpath by her hand. "Come on! Hurry up!" I pouted._

 _"Carmen, you know I can't run fast!" She whined. I siged, but smiled again._

 _""Fine, just hurry up!" I repeated. She complied and ran behind me as fast as her legs could take her._

 _After what seemed like hours, we both came to a stop at an opening in the trees, gasping for breath after running so fast. I looked over at Rachel to see her looking at the clearing in awe._

 _"I found it while I was walking yesterday," I said happily. Rachel, on the other hand, was gaping._

 _"_ That's _where you were?" She asked incrediously. "Mummy and Daddy were really worried! They were going to call the police!" She exclaimed. She had always been the most sensible out of the two of us._

 _"But Rachel," I whined. "Look how pretty it is!" She sighed, before replying._

 _"Okay, lets wait for Mummy and Daddy now, they weren't too far behind." I sighed, irritated that she was being do boring. Then I had an idea._

 _I tapped her arm before quickly running away and shouting, "You're it!" over my shoulder. She laughed and began running after me, managing to tap me on my arm. I grinned and spun around to chase her._

 _However, just as I was about to grab her, she must've tripped and went flying forward, her head connecting with a rock, making a sickening crack. I gasped, stopping in my tracks before running over and kneeling by her side._

 _"Rachel!" I shouted, beginning to sob. I could see the blood flowing out of her head, staining the leaves red, and I began to cry even harder. "Mummy! Daddy!" I screamed, hoping they'd know what to do._

 _Soon, they came rushing into the clearing, and upon seeing me crouched over my sister's body, came running over. Whilst my mum was busy calling an ambulance, my dad had grabbed me by the arm and was taking me away from both of them._

 _"What did you do?" He whispered furiously. I shook my head frantically, tears still making tracks down my face._

 _"It wasn't me!" I sobbed, hoping he would believe me. He just shook his head angrily, before walking back over to my mum and sister._


	3. Chapter 3

Carmen's POV

I don't know how long I sat there after they left before I heard them, but it cant have been too long. I hadn't really noticed how deserted the street was, but now it was all I could think of and I tried to stand up to find somewhere with more people. Tried being the main word. As soon as I put weight on my left foot, pain shot up my leg and I realised I must've sprained it, probably when I was trying to get away from my house. I felt like I needed to talk to someone more than ever now, but no one I knew would listen.

Soon the sounds I had heard earlier could be distinguished as voices and within a few minutes, I could begin to pick up parts of the conversation.

"We should start filming the new video tonight!" I heard one say with a thick British accent. "The fans are going crazy!"

"I'm tiered!" I heard the other one say, I was able to tell that he had a northern accent, very different to his friend's. "Can't we do it tomorrow?"

As they neared me, their talking quite need down to a whisper. I'm guessing that they saw me. I could understand why they were shocked, you don't normally see girls beaten up and crying on the side of the road... Well, normally.

"We need to help her!" I heard one whisper, I think it was the one with the British accent, but I can't be sure.

"We don't know who she is though!" The northern one whispered back. "She could be a serial killer for all we know!" I felt more tears prick at my eyes.

"Does she really look like she could hurt us?" I heard him say and he began to walk over to me. Soon enough, he was crouched in front of me. I looked up, trying to blink away tears and saw a pair of chocolate brown ones staring at me intently. "Are you okay?" He asked me. He seemed genuinely concerned. I looked up and managed to sneak a peak at his face - he was utterly gorgeous! His black hair, seemed even darker in the dim light from the street lamps, and was cut into a side fringe and neatly styled. He tried to give me a small smile and two dimples appeared on his cheeks.

I was about to answer him when his worried eyes travelled down to my waist where there was blood seeping through my hoodie. Where did that even come from? He gasped and looked back up at me.

"Okay, um... Don't panic, but you're bleeding..." He said awkwardly trailing off at the end. "I'm gonna take you up to my apartment and get you fix up okay?"

I nodded and managed to croak out a "Thank you," before I started coughing. "Sorry," I said and cringed.

He brushed his fringe out of his eyes before attempting to pick me up. He was easily able to get his arms underneath me, but actually picking me up was the hard part. After a lot of shuffling, I was in his arms and he was taking me over to his friend. His hand was pressing up against the wound on my waist, but I wasn't planning on telling him, he was doing so much for me, I didn't want to seem ungrateful. Even if I was beginning to see spots in the corners of my vision.

"I'm bringing her back to the apartment Phil, she's really beaten up," I heard him say before I let the darkness take over.

Dan's POV

"We should start filming the new video tonight!" I said to Phil as we walked back home after the radio show. "The fans are going crazy!"

"I'm tiered!" Phil moaned. "Can't we do it tomorrow?" I laughed at his childish behaviour but it died down when I saw a girl sitting on the pavement. I looked over at Phil, shock probably written all over my face. You'd think I'd be used to occurrences like this, living in London and all that, but this girl didn't look homeless, she just looked... Broken. I could see her crying from here.

He gave me a look as if to say 'Don't get any ideas' but it was too late.

"We need to help her!" I whispered to Phil. I knew him and he was too kind just to leave someone like that there on the side of the road - I could already see his eyes softening a bit.

"We don't know who she is though!" Phil protested half-heartedly. "She could be a serial killer for all we know!" I gave him a look and he just shrugged.

"Does she really look like she could hurt us?" I asked him and began to walk over to her, hearing Phil sigh behind me as I crouched down in front of her. "Are you okay?" I asked her and immediately cringed - of course she wasn't okay or she wouldn't be on the side of the road crying!

She looked up at me and I almost gasped. Her eyes were green, but not dull like most people's, a beautiful, vibrant green, framed by thick lashes. Her skin was ebony pale and her she had a light smattering of freckles on her nose. Her heart shaped face was framed by thick, jet black hair which was green at the bottom and on her fringe. I felt like I was in a trance, and then I noticed the blood seeping through her hoodie.

"Okay, um... Don't panic, but you're bleeding..." I said awkwardly. I wasn't sure what to do, but one thing was certain - I couldn't leave her here. "I'm gonna take you to my apartment to get you fixed up okay?"

She smiled slightly. "Thank you," she said before coughing. A lot. "Sorry," she said.

I took a deep breath and tried to pick her up. It wasn't too hard, partially because I'm she didn't weigh much but also because I'm the strongest guy at the gym... Yeah.

I walked over to Phil and smiled slightly before saying " I'm bringing her back to the apartment Phil, she's really beaten up." He sighed and nodded before looking down at her. A confused look crossed over his face.

"Dan, she's passed out," he said. I looked down and realised he was right.

 **So yeah, sorry if it's not actually very long, I'm typing this up on my iPad so I'm not sure how long it'll turn out to be :/ anyway, i hope you liked it and I'll try to update soon! And yes I know Dans hair is brown, but I'm pretty sure it would look black in dark lighting and this is the first time she's seen him okay?**


	4. Chapter 4

Dan's POV

We walked the few blocks to our apartment as fast as we could considering I was carrying a person, getting quite a few strange looks from people passing by. Though they probably just thought she passed out after having too much to drink. We only just managed to fit into the lift, a good thing too, because no matter how light she was, there was no way I was walking up sixteen flights of stairs with her in my arms.

As soon as we were into the apartment, I laid her down on the sofa carefully and rushed I to the kitchen for some bandages. We had never needed them until now and I silently thanked Phil for being so practical as to buy some 'just in case' as he said at the time.

I walked back into the living room and crouched in front of the girl. I lifted her hoodie up slightly, and took a brief look at the wound. I couldn't think straight for a minute - it looked so bad! It was only about two inches long, but from the amount of blood still gushing out of it, I could only guess that it was quite deep.

I took a deep breath and began to clean the wound. Firstly, I used some wet tea towels to mop up all the excess blood and pressed it on the cut after in an attempt to stop more from coming out. Once it had stopped, I removed the towel to get a closer look it. Since this kind of event hasn't happened before, I had no idea what to do, so I figured I'd ask her when she woke up.

Carmen's POV

I opened my eyes gingerly and took in my surroundings. I guess this was the guys from last night's apartment. I looked around a bit more thoroughly and gave a sigh of relief when I noticed no one was in the room. I lifted up my hoodie carefully and was pleasantly shocked when I saw that it had been bandaged up carefully.

I raised my eyes and looked around for a clock and found on saying it was 07:38. I must've been asleep for a while! I tried to recall the events of last night, but I couldn't remember anything except those eyes...

I figured no one would be up at this hour (why was I?) so I stood up and got a better look at the room. From what I could tell, I was in a living room as there was a large TV with multiple gaming consoles set up around it and stacks of games piled around them. The sofa I had been lying on a minute ago was very worn and was up against a wall that was scattered with posters.

I heard a cough behind me. I turned around and saw the man from last night staring at me sheepishly and then down at the ground, his cheeks turning pink. I swallowed. I had never been good at meeting new people but neither did the guy in front of me so I decided to speak up first.

"Hi, my name's Carmen," I said quietly, alternating my nervous gaze between the floor and the person in front of me. He smiled at me, a look of relief on his face.

"My name's Dan," he smiled. I observed him as subtly as I could whist he was looking a at the ground - I wasn't able to get that good a look last night. His hair that I had previously thought was black was actually dark brown and a lot messier the last night, as I presume he just woke up. His eyes were still the same gorgeous brown as last night and just as easy to get lost in, cliché as it sounds. He was very tall, taller than me, but to be honest, that's not saying much.

I coughed and looked away. "Thanks for helping me last night," I said before looking up and smiling slightly.

Dan grinned back at me. "No problem! I don't know if you remember what happened last night..." He trailed off. I tried hard to recall something, but came up with a blank, it was all a blur really.

I shook my head. "No," I responded. "Not really."

"Well, I was walking home with my friend Phil and we saw you on the pavement. We got a bit closer and I realised that you were bleeding - why were you bleeding by the way?"

I thought back to last night, but just as before, I couldn't remember anything. I sighed. "Sorry, I don't remember," I stated guiltily.

Dan shrugged. "That's okay!" He chimed. "You must be hungry, Do you want breakfast?"

I beamed. "Sure! What do you have?" He grinned at me mischievously.

"I was thinking pancakes," He spoke nonchalantly.

"Why so serious?" I inquired. "They're just pancakes." He gasped dramatically and stumbled backwards, hand over his heart.

"These aren't just any pancakes! Normal pancakes are for peasants! These are freaking Delia Smith pancakes!" Dan exclaimed. I giggled at his immaturity.

"Right then," I smiled. "Delia Smith pancakes it is!"

 **I hope you liked that chapter! I had fun writing it ^_^ comment if you enjoyed it x**

 **Scarlett**


	5. Chapter 5

Carmen's POV

"So how do you make 'Delia Smith' pancakes?" I asked Dan, walking around the kitchen. The floors and walls were bright white, almost making my eyes hurt having just woken up. The cupboards however were black and a few were ajar. I heard Dan sigh in front of me and go to close them, muttering something under his breath that sounded like 'I swear to god Phil.'

"With the usual ingredients but with more amazingness," he said, completely serious, turning back around to face me.

"Of course..." I said, unsure.

"I like your hoodie by the way," Dan smiled at me. I looked down and realised I was wearing my favourite 'My Chemical Romance' hoodie. I smiled back.

"Thanks," I replied, frowning when I realised there was blood on the side, though I still couldn't remember where from. Dan noticed I was staring and spoke up.

"Do you want me to wash it for you?" He asked, concerned. I shook my head almost frantically, not wanting him to see the cuts and bruises littering my arms. He frowned.

"You could borrow one of my hoodies whilst it washing if you want?" He suggested. I nodded my head, not wanting to seem suspicious. "I'll go get one," he said, smiling before walking off.

He returned quickly and handed over a black hoodie, handing it out to me. My heart began to beat faster than normal. Was he expecting me to put it on here? I couldn't risk him seeing my arms. I looked down, hoping I could do this without looking too suspicious.

"Um, would I be able to get changed in the bathroom?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah, sure," Dan replied, not seeming fazed by my request. "If you turn left, it's the first one on the right." I smiled greatfully.

"Thanks," I replied before getting to the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and breathed heavily, my heart rate returning to normal now that I knew the crisis was (hopefully) avoided. I quickly changed the hoodies, smiling when I realised the hood had horns on it. I exited the bathroom and made my way back to the kitchen.

Dan looked up and smiled at me when I entered the room, closing the fridge where I assumed he was gathering ingrediants, before noticing the bundle in my arms. He quickly took it from me saying that he was going to put it by the washing machine.

Whilst he was gone, I tried not to touch anything in case I damaged it, so I settled for awkwardly staring around at the various books on the shelves. There wasn't a great variety, most of them turning out to be 'Delia Smith'.

I heard the door opening behind me and turned around, assuming it was Dan, but was faced with another stranger. Well, I guess I was in no position to call him a stranger, I was the random person in _his_ house after all.

"Hi," he said smiling. "I'm Phil."

"Hi," I replied, smiled back weakly. "My name's Carmen," I said, hoping my voice didn't show how nervous I was. He looked over my shoulders quickly at the ingrediants arranged on the counter, and grinned like a child on Christmas.

"Are you making pancakes?" He asked excitedly? I smiled shyly and nodded, glad he wasn't asking me about last night.

"I'm back!" I hear Dan announce before walking through the door, his arms spread wide. Phil and I giggled at his immaturity, causing him to pout. "Fine, looks like someone's not getting pancakes." He said, looking at both of us pointedly. We both stopped laughing immediately. He smirked. "Good, now let's get to work!"

 **Yay a wild update go me. Don't forget to comment and vote if you enjoyed it :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I forgot to mention, this story is set in 2011 ^_^**

Just before we were about to start cooking, Dan shouted, causing us to stop.

"Wait!" He said and rushed out the door, leaving us wondering what he was doing. He returned a few moments later, camera and tripod. "I need to upload a video," he explained. What does that mean? Phil didn't seem confused though so I decided not to comment on it. He must've noticed my oblivion though, because he began to explain. "Phil and I are youtubers, we make videos and post them," he told me.

I nodded. "That seems like an amazing job," I smiled. "What are your videos about?" I asked, curious. They both shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"Anything we feel like I guess," Phil said.

"So you're going to video us making pancakes?" I asked? They both grinned.

"Yeah!" They both said at the same time. That was a bit creepy. "It's pancake day so its the perfect time!" My eyes widened.

"Pancake day?" I asked. Was this a thing? Why had I never done it?! Their eyes widened to match mine.

"You don't know pancake day?" Phil asked, seeming genuinely alarmed. I shook my head awkwardly.

"Do your parents not love you?" Dan says. He obviously meant it as a joke, and I couldn't get angry at him because he didn't know better, but that definately struck a nerve. My eyes began to well up with tears, and I looked down, hoping they wouldn't notice. But soon, tears were dripping silently from my face and there was no way of hiding them. "Oh shit, oh my god. Carmen, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Dan stuttered, obviously upset himself.

I shook my head frantically. "Don't worry, I'm fine," I said, trying to steer the attention away from me, even though it was blatantly obvious that I wasn't fine.

"No you're not!" Phil said, sounding just as upset as Dan. I felt terrible when I realised it was my fault they were upset. I shook my head again.

"I'm fine honestly," I said, not even convincing myself anymore. I saw Phil walk away from the corner of my eye. He probably got annoyed and gave up on talking to me. I vaguely heard Dan talking before I felt his arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me into his lanky frame. I froze for a second, before wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face into his chest.

I heard shuffling behind me and Phil (I'm assuming since Dan still had his arms around me) wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. I sniffed and broke away from Dan to smile greatfully at Phil. He smiled back and handed me a hot drink with whipped cream on the top. I gave them a genuine smile and accepted the drink.

"Do you want to watch TV?" Dan asked? I nodded. "Anything in particular?" He asked?

"Doctor Who?" I asked quietly. He grinned.

"Any particular series?" He asked. "We have all of them." I swear my jaw dropped to the ground. No one in my family liked Doctor Who so I could only watch it live - sometimes.

"Five," I said, not even thinking about it. It was my favourite so far. They both nodded, Phil getting the DVD and setting up the TV, Dan leading me over to the sofa I woke up on this morning. I made myself comfortable and they both came and sat on either side of me.

"Pause it!" Dan shouted, just as Phil was about to press play. "We need popcorn!" We both nodded, and he pointed at me dramatically. "Sweet, Salty or buttered?" He asked.

I scoffed. "Salted," I replied. He smiled.

"Coming right up!" He said before running out the door. Yes, running.

"You didn't ask me what I wanted!" Phil said next to me, pouting.

"I know what you want doofus," we heard Dan shout through the walls. Phil huffed jokingly and crossed his arms, not being able to keep it up for long though when Dan came back in and started poking his nose.

The microwave beeped, indicating the popcorn was done and soon Dan waltzed back in holding three bags of popcorn, handing them out to the right person.

"Can we start _now_?" Phil asked. Dan smiled sweetly.

"You may," he replied.

We watched the whole of series 5, which took most of the day, 6 bags of popcorn and one trip to Tescos. After 'The Big Bang', we finally turned the lights on and surveyed the aftermath of the day. There was popcorn ground into the carpet in lots of places, bowls and cups everywhere, but I couldn't help laughing when I noticed that all three of us had popcorn in our hair.

"Sorry about the mess," I said,still giggling slightly. "I'll tidy it up, I promise."

"No way," Dan said, shaking his head already. "You're the guest, you're not tidying up." That made me stop in my tracks. A guest implied I was invited didn't it?

"You want me here?" I asked quietly. They looked surprised.

"Yeah," Phil said. "We may not know much about you, but you seem cool, and we both want to get to know you better." I smiled and looked at my feet, blushing.

"Thanks," I said in a small voice.

"I'm going to go set up the sofa bed, you can have a shower if you want?" Dan suggested. I nodded, realising I hadn't washed since yesterday morning.

"The towels are in the bathroom,do you remember where it is?" He asked. I nodded and made my way to the bathroom, smiling when I thought about the day I'd just had.

 **Yay, another wild update! Please comment if you find any spelling errors by the way, hopefully there arent any...**  
 **~Scarlett**


	7. Chapter 7

Dan's POV

I ran upstairs to the 'nerd room' and began to set up the sofa bed whenI heard Phil behind me.

"What do you think happened with her parents Dan?" He asked me, sounding worried. I frowned.

"I hope they're not dead," I said. It may sound like a stupid thing to say, but I didn't want to joke about her parents not loving her if they were dead.

"Me neither," said Phil. "But did you see the hand mark on her face?" I froze.

"No," I said, so quiet it was almost a whisper.

"Dan," He started. "What if..."

"Don't," I interrupted. I knew what Phil was implying and I didn't even want to think about it. I hadn't know Carmen for long, but she seemed like such a sweet girl, I couldn't understand why anyone could think of doing such a thing. "I don't think we should ask her about it for a while," I said, after a long silence.

"I say a week at most before we have to talk about it," Phil said. I nodded, that seemed fair enough.

"She needs clothes," I reminded Phil. He began to smile.

"We can take her shopping tomorrow!" He suggested, beaming. I nodded, a smile working its way onto my face too.

"Good idea," I said. "Can you get some sheets from the cupboard?" I asked, smiling sweetly and batting my eyelashes at him. He glared at me playfully before leaving the room.

Phil soon returned, with his arms full of sheets, dropping them on the bed dramatically and proceeding to fall on top of them. I laughed and pushed him off.

"Carmen has to sleep on those, I'm pretty sure she doesn't want your germs," I joked. He pouted, standing up. I heard a soft giggle and turned around to see Carmen standing in the doorway, wrapped in a towel.

"Sorry to be a pain, but could I borrow some clothes to sleep in?" She asked, looking down at her feet awkwardly.

"Sure," I replied, smiling. "Oh, and we're going shopping tomorrow so you have your own clothes to wear." She looked down again, scratching her arm - a nervous habit probably.

"I don't have any money," she mumbled, embarrassed.

"Then it's a good thingwe're paying!" I informed her. She looked up, looking almost scared.

"No, no, you don't have to! You're already letting me stay here, you don't have to waste your money buying me clothes!" Carmen protested. I shook my head.

"It's not a waste if it'll make you happy," I told her before darting off to mybedroom, not giving her a chance to argue the case any further. I quickly grabbed some clean sweatpants and a plain black tshirt and walked back upstairs to find her and Phil playing what I assumed was twenty questions.

"Favourite animal?" Phil asked. Carmen thought for a moment before replying.

"Lizard," she said, smirking. He nodded approvingly.

"Good choice," He said.

I walked back into the room and handed Carmen the clothes. "If you can't sleep, feel free to use the mac over there," I told her, trying to make her feel as at home as possible. "Or you can come talk to me or Phil, we're normally up until the early hours of the morning. She giggled and nodded.

"Thanks," she said.

"And if you get up before us-" I started.

"Which you probably will," Phil interupted. I swatted him on the arm playfully and glared at him.

"As i was saying," I began again, staring pointedly at Phil. "If you wake up before us, you can help yourself to anything in the kitchen or put the TV on if you want." She smiled again.

"Thank you so much!" She replied. "I'd hug you, but my towel would fall down..." She said awkwardly. My cheeks turned bright red and I'm almost positive Phil's did too.

"We'll let you get changed then," I said, laughing nervously, before leaving the room, Phil behind me.

Carmen's POV

I grinned at how awkward they were and began to pull on the clothes Dan gave me. They were a bit big, but I didn't realise anything wrong until I looked in the mirror - the t-shirt was short sleeved. I checked the time to see if it was socially acceptable to go to bed yet. _10:47,_ the clock read. I guess I could get away with it.

I wrapped the towel around my shoulders - it looked like it was just keeping my hair off my back, and it covered my arms.

I walked out the door and found them downstairs, watching TV - Adventure Time I think.

"Um, I'm kind of tired, is it okay if I go to sleep?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah of course," Dan replied. "See you tomorrow?" He asked. I nodded and grinned.

"Night," I said and walked back up to my temporary room and went to sleep.

 **Sorry it's shorter than usual :/ Also, one of my friends from school found this account and I think she's read this _ help  
~Scarlett**


	8. Chapter 8

Carmen's POV

 _I was running. I didn't know where to or who from, but I knew I couldn't stop. My feet were pounding against the pavement, the sound echoing in my ears, the only thing I could hear besides my ragged breathing._

 _I could feel someone's breath on my neck as my breathing became more laboured and I began to slow down._

 _A sudden weight on my back caused me to fall, my body thanking me for stopping, but my brain knowing this couldn't lead anywhere good. Quickly memories came flooding back, all of me in this exact situation - always turning around to se my sister or one of her friends on top of me. They would then proceed to wrap their hands around my neck and squeeze until I lost consciousness._

 _I turned around, expectingto see my sister smiling at me bitterly, but was instead met with Dan. I gasped, trying to convince myself that he would never do this, but my eyes were telling me otherwise._

 _I was starting to worry, but I noticed his eyes were full of tears, a few leaving tracks down his face._

 _"I'm sorry," he whispered, before wrapping his hands around my neck. My brain began to panic, knowing it wasn't getting any oxygen and I began to kick and punch, scratching at his hands, but I knew my attempts were futile. Blackness began to cloud my vision and my arms fell to my sides, unable to hold themselves up any longer. I looked up at Dan, my eyes begging him to stop, but he only shook his head in response._

 _"I'm sorry," I heard him whisper again before the blackness took over._

I opened my eyes, gasping. My heart was racing as if I really had been running and I noticed a few stray tears falling down my face. I peeled the sweat soaked blankets off me and swung my feet over the edge of the bed, tring to control my breathing.

I looked at the clock and saw that it read 05:13. I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep and I didn't think Dan or Phil would be up either.

I stood up, my legs shaking and made my way to the door, treading lightly as I didn't want to wake either of them. I opened the door carefully, wincing when I squeaked a bit. I paused, waiting for any sounds to indicate that someone was up, but was faced with nothing.

I managed to make my way downstairs without waking anyone up and began to work on my plan. First, I folded up the blankets and placed them on the end of the sofa since I didn't know where they were kept. I then proceeded to arrange the cushions and sweep off any bits of popcorn onto the floor where I'd pick them up later. I also picked up the empty popcorn bags and and individual pieces of popcorn on the floor and put them in the bin. Finally, I found the TV remotes and left them on the arm of the sofa and straightened the pictures above the sofa.

Satisfied with my work, I decided to hoover later, just in case there were still bits of popcorn left in the carpet. I looked at the clock, surprised when I saw that it was still only 6 o'clock. I figured no one in their right mind would be up at this hour, so I could go to Tescos and buy some stuff to make some breakfast in bed for Dan and Phil.

I frowned when I remembered that I didn't have any money. I didn't feel comfortable taking any of Dan and Phil's, so I decided the only option was to sneak home and get some of my own. I quickly put on my clothes from the day before and sighed, deciding I'd get a change of clothes while I was there.

I grabbed my hoodie from the wash and a key from next to the door, and before I could change my mind, I was heading 'home'. I knew vaugely where I was and it felt like no time at all before I was standing in front of the door. I fished the key that I always kept with me out of my jeans pocket and opened the door as quietly as I could.

I stepped inside and shut the door behind me silently. I made my way upstairs, making sure to avoid the stairs that I knew creaked. I opened the door to myroom and grimaced, memories flooding back - and not pleasant ones.

I shook my head in an attempt to clear my head and made my way over to my chest of drawers, desperately in need of a change of clothes. I quicly shimmied out of my jeans and pulled on a new (but identical) black pair. I pulled on and old Panic! t-shirt and quickly sawpped the blood stained one iwas wearing. While my tshirt was off, I took the time to look at he wound left on my waist from Monica. It wasn't as deep as I had origionally thought,but it still hurt like a bitch.

Once I was changed, I kneeled down next the the loose floorboard where I kept my important possesions so that my sister didn't brreak them. I slipped my phone into my pocket along with some headphones and grabbed about £100, leaving some here for safe keeping. I thought about it for a second before grabbing another £50, remembering we were going shopping today.

Satisfied, I opened my door, reading to go to Tescos, but was instead met by my sister smirking at me.

"Dad's going to be glad when I wake him up," she smirked. "All he could talk about was how bad you're going to get it when you come crawling back home." I stood paralysed, too afraid to move incase she alerted the rest of the family to my presence. "Now," she said walking closer to me, so that her face was right in front of mine. "You're going to be quiet, or Dad will hear you. Understood?" I nodded meekly, not seeing another way out of the situation.

She smiled and grabbed my by the hair on the back of my head. It hurt like a bitch, but I knew I couldn't say anything. She proceeded to punch my face until my eye was swollen closed and I was only upright by her grip on my hair.

She let go and I fell to the ground with a thud, hoping I didn't wake my mum and dad. She kicked my side ruthlessly, thankfully avoiding the wound put there by Monica and only stopped when we heard sheets rustling from our parent's room. She pulled me up by my arm.

"Get out," she whispered fiercely. "Now."

I didn't need to be told twice. I was down the stairs and out of the door as fast as my battered legs could take me. I plugged my headphones in and pressed shuffle. A tear trickled down my cheek when I recognised the beginning of _The Light Behind Your Eyes_ by My Chemical Romance. The lyrics repeated in my head.

 _Never let them take the light behind your eyes._

I was trying not to let all the hateful remarks and constant beatings get to me, but I had nothing to hold onto, and the light behind my eyes was slowly fading.

Soon I found myself outside Tesco's and decided I needed to hurry up if I wanted to get this done. I wasn't sure what they already had in the fridge, so I just picket up everything I needed: eggs, sausages, beans, bacon and milk. I also picked up some peas for my eye, since it was so swollen that I couldn't see out of it.

I ignored the worried looks the cashier was giving me and quickly made my way back to Dan and Phil's. Once I was in the door, I checked the time - 8:00 - I still had some time so I decided to hold the peas against my face, hoping the swelling would go down before either of them woke up.

I found a mirror and looked at the extent of what my sister had done. The left side of my face was swollen and bruised, and as long as theswelling went down, I could probably cover it with makeup. I decided I didn't want to see anything else and decided to put the TV on quietly for half an hour.

After two episodes of Adventure Time, I looked in the mirror and was glad to see that the swelling had gone down considerably. Since it was 8:30, and I wasn't sure what time they'd wake up, I decided to get started on breakfast.

I decided to do the meat first, then the eggs and finally the beans. The sausages and bacon were fairly easy to cook - it was once I got to the eggs that I began to panic. They were spitting all over the place and i was practically dancing in front of the stove to avoid it. Soon they were done, and I just had to do the beans, which were easy.

Once I had piled it all up onto a plate, I grabbed two trays so that they could eat them in bed. I picked up knives and forks on the way out and decided to go to Phil's room first. I opened the door and put the trays down on his bedside table.

I shook his shoulder gently. He groaned and opened his eyes. "Sorry to wake you," I said, slightly regretting my plan now and wishing I had just waited until they had woken up. "But I made breakfast and I didn't want it to go cold." I looked down at my feet, hoping he wasn't angry.

"You made a full english breakfast?" He asked when he saw the plate of food next to his face, seeming surprised. I nodded shyly, grabbing the plate and handing it to him. He sat up and took it, placing the tray on his lap. "Thanks!" He said, still seeming surprised. I put my head down and grabbed the other tray of food, hoping to get away from the awkward situation. "Carmen?" Phil asked. I turned around. "You've got a bruise on your face that wasn't there yesterday."

I pretented to act embarrased. "Yeah, I, um, hit my face on a door when I was opening it," I lied, laughing awkwardly.. He seemed to buy it because he laughed.

"You're almost as clumsy as me," he joked. I laughed again.

"Well, I have to go wake Dan up and give him his food before it goes cold," I said, making my way to the door. Phil laughed, his mouth full of food.

"Good luck with that," he joked. I laughed and walked over to Dan's door. I opened it carefully and made my way over to his sleeping form. I placed the food on the floor and gently shook his shoulder, calling his name. He opened his eyes and yawned.

"Carmen?" He asked, his voice thick.

"Um, hi." I said awkwardly. "Sorry to wake you, but I made breakfast." His eyes widened as I handed him the tray. He took it carefully, sitting up.

"You made this?" He asked, surprised. I laughed.

"Um, yeah?" I replied awkwardly.

He took a bite. "This is really good!" He said enthusiastically. I blushed.

"Thanks," I replied, smiling. "I need to go tidy up the kitchen, I'll be back in a minute." I said, rushing out of the door before he could protest. I set to work tidying the kitchen, which didn't really take long. I walked out and into the lounge, met with Dan and Phil looking around surprised.

"You tided up as well?" Phil asked, looking impressed. I shrugged.

"I woke up early this morning and I couldn't get back to sleep." I told them.

Dan smiled at me, but it soon turned into a frown. "What happened to your face?" He asked. I laughed awkwardly.

"Thanks," I laughed. His face turned red.

"No, no, I-I just meant you have a bruise there that wasn't there yesterday." I just laughed it off again.

"I walked into a door," I shrugged, laughing awkwardly, hoping he didn't realise I was lying. He shook his head and frowned.

"Thats not the kind of bruise you get from walking into a door," he said seriously. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I just shook my head and laughed.

"I'm just an idiot," I said. His frown deepened and he came over and hugged me.

"Carmen, you're crying," Dan said. "please tell us what's wrong." I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. He was doing puppy-dog eyes and damn, he was good at it. I could feel my resolve breaking. I nodded reluctantly.

My voice was hoarse when I answered him.

"It was my sister."


	9. Chapter 9

Carmen's POV

I looked up, worried they would laugh in my face or not believe me, but they both looked like they'd been slapped. Dan's mouth was open slightly, his glassy eyes staring at me blankly.

"Why?" He croaked, his voice thick from unshed tears, though I wasn't sure why he was upset, did it really matter that much that I was getting hurt? I thought back to his question. Why did she abuse me? I thought back to all the spiteful comments she and her friends threw my way, trying to remember anything she said that would explain why sheacted the way she did, but came up with a blank.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered nervously, hoping they wouldn't get angry like my Dad always did. However, Dan, since he was closest, just pulled me into a hug, stroking my hair and whispering in my ear that it would be alright. I melted into the hug, wrapping my arms around his waist and burrying my head in the crook of his neck, fianlly letting the tears out.

My body shook as I sobbed into Dan's shoulder, having held the tears in for too long. I was vaguely aware of Dan picking me up and carrying me upstairs. He lay me down on the bed and I opened my eyes to see him crouched down in front of me.

"You need some sleep," he said seriously. I nodded sleepily, my eyes drifting shut.

"Okay," I mumbled, already half asleep. I felt Dan tug the covers up over my body before drifting into unconciousness, forgetting the reason I woke up early this morning.

 _I was running, but it was different to last time. I could see someone in front of me, running - away from me I guessed. I didn't know why they were running away from me, but I didn't want to scare anyone. I tried to stop - I wanted to leave them alone - but my legs wouldn't cooperate, and I just ended up running even faster._

 _As I neared the person, I began to realise who it was - one of the only two people I was hoping it wasn't. I was so close that I could hear him gasping for breath. My heart raced, but not because I was running, because I had had this dream before, and I knew what I was going to do._

 _He was so close now that I could reach out and touch him. So I did. I out all of my effort into one shove, sending him toppling to the pavement, his head hitting the concrete with a sickening crack. He flipped over onto his back, obviously trying to see his attacker, but when he was faced with me instead, his resolve began to crumble._

 _"Carmen?" He whispered. I shook my head, trying to stop the tears threatening to fall._

 _"I'm so sorry," I whimpered, before wrapping my hands around his neck and squeezing as hard as I could. I willed myself to stop, not wanting to do this to Dan, but it was like and out-of-body experience, except I couldn't see myself._

 _Dan began clawing at my hands, kicking me, anything that would help free him, but I felt no pain what-so-ever. His eyes were quicly becoming dull, and his futile attempts to stop me had ceased. I began to sob helplessly._

 _"I'm so, so sorry," I cried, before his eyes shut, and his body went limp in my hands._

 _I heard clapping behind me and turned around to see my sister and her friends, looking at me approvingly._

 _"Well done," she said, impressed, but I felt no pride. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and never wake up. She fake pouted. "It's a shame he had to watch though," she said, pointing behind me._

 _I turned around and felt my stomach drop, because there stood Phil, looking at me like I was the scum of the Earth. Though if I were him, I would be looking at me the same way._

 _"Phil..." I started, but was interupted before I could even begin to think of an excuse._

 _"Don't," he said bitterly, shaking his head, causing tears to drip down his face. "Don't even try. I thought you were different._ He _thought you were different. But you're just like them," he said, pointing at my sister and her friends. I shook my head._

 _"Phil please..." I said, though I knew that, just like Dan, my efforts were useless._

 _"Never speak to me again." He spat before walking away. I heard my sister and her friends laughing behind me, but I paid no attention._

 _"Carmen?" They called, repeating my name over and over again._

"Carmen?" I head Dan say, waking me from my nightmare. I opened my eyes and looked at him. I broke out into a huge grin and sat up, throwing my arms around his neck, glad he wasn't dead. He laughed. "Good afternoon to you too," he joked.

I laughed. "Sorry," I said. "It's just, I had a nightmare." I explained, hoping I wouldn't have to go into too much detail. He frowned.

"What about?" He asked, concerned. I folded my hands in my lap and began picking at my nails.

"I killed you," I said bluntly, hoping he'd take the hint and drop the subject, but he did no such thing.

"Well as long as you're not going to do that in real life, I dodn't see the point in worrying about it," he joked. I looked up at him and smirked.

"Well there goes my plan for tonight," I said sarcastically. He laughed.

"If you're feeling better, do you still want to go shopping with me and Phil?" He asked. I nodded enthusiastically.

"And I got some money from home so you don't have to pay for me!" I said. He pouted.

"It was meant to be a treat!" He protested. I shuffled awkwardly.

"Sorry," I said. "I just don't really feel comfortable taking your money." Dan shook his head.

"It's fine honestly." He assured me. "But if you really want to, you can pay for yourself." I smiled gratefully. "But you have to promise that we can pay next time?"

I grinned, linking my pinky finger with his.

"It's a deal."

 **Yay update, I hope you enjoyed it, if you did, don't forget to vote and comment :)  
~ Scarlett**


	10. Chapter 10

Carmen's POV

After making sure I looked as presentable as possible with the bare essentials I had (baggy clothes and no makeup), I grabbed my phone, headphones and money and we were ready to go.

"So where are we going?" I asked, guessing we were going to Covent Garden, since it was the nearest place with lots of shops.

"Covent Garden Market," Phil replied, looking down the street before ushering us across like a parent would to their child, though really, Phil was probably the most childish one here. I nodded.

"You know what we need in England," I said, voicing my thoughts. They looked at me questioningly. "Hot Topic," I replied. Though I had bigger problems in my life, the fact that there weren't many places I could get band merch was something that bugged me 24/7.

"That's what you're thinking about right now?" Dan asked, disbelieving. I shrugged.

"Well we're about to go shopping, I was just thinking about where to go," I explained. They were still frowning.

"Carmen you just told us that your sister abuses you and you're worried about which shop you're going to buy your clothes from?" Dan asked, not harshly, but it still upset me. I blinked back tears.

"Um," I said, my voice suddenly quiet and shy. "Could we maybe wait until we get back to your place before talking about it?" I asked, looking down at the ground and scuffing the toe of my shoe against the dirty concrete. I heard Dan sigh slightly before giving me a side hug.

"That's fine," he said sincerely. "We can forget it ever happened until you want to talk about it." I smiled up at him slightly, touched that he wasn't prying the answers out of me.

"Thanks," I smiled, before looking around, only vaguely recognising where we were. "Are we nearly there? I've never arrived from this direction before." I asked.

"About five more minutes," Phil replied. "Where do you want to go first?" He asked. I thought back to the last time I went shopping and tried to think of where I went.

"Primark?" I suggested, not being able to think of anything else. They nodded and made a turning a few seconds later and the building loomed in front of us. "That was quick," I murmered,causing Phil to giggle.

We wandered inside and I made my way upstairs to the female section, Dan and Phil trailing behind awkwardly. I began to looked for some leggings, and ended up putting two in the basket - one with marvel comics printed on it and the other one looked like newspaper print.

I also picked up two hoodies (a Slytherin one and a Gallifrey University one), a pair of ripped jeans and some shoes. Soon, to Dan and Phil's relief, we were leaving the shop satisfied.

"Do you want to go to one more place before we go home?" Dan asked, looking at me hopefully. I giggled at his puppy eyes.

"Okay, where?" I asked.

"The best shop ever," he said, completely seriously,before turning around and walking there, I assumed. Phil and I followed, curious as to which shop Dan was so in love with.

Soon, we found ourselves at a crossing, and after crossing the road, I could see why Dan was so eager to come here. The shop was called Forbidden Planet, and in the window, I could see action figures, merch and comic books - it looked like heaven is what I'm trying to say. **(This is literally my favourite shop).**

We made our way inside, and the first thing I noticed was the glass shelves of action figures to my left, where you could see the shop continuing through. Also, I couldn't help but notice an almost lifesize spiderman sculpture on a plinth by the door I just came in through. I made my way to the back of the shop where you could make a 180 turn and look at merch such as tshirts, where I admit I picked up a few more tshirts. I then decided to look downstairs, where Dan said the comics were.

The first thing I noticed, was that there was a huge poster of The Doctor and Amy right in front of the stairs, which made me smile. I made my way downstairs, Dan and Phil following close behind, obviously wanting to look at the comic books too.

Typically, I found some Doctor Who ones, so I bought the first three editions and went to find Dan and Phil, who were over by the Marvel comics. Just as I was about to alert them to my presence, a girl walked up to them and began talking nervously. She had fire-truck red hair down to her shoulders, falling in delicate waves and her brown eyes were darting around the room nervously.

"Um, h-hi," she stuttered. "Sorry, t-to bother you, but I'm a big fan of your videos, would you mind if I had a picture taken with you?" She asked, looking down at her feet, something I knew I did when I was feeling awkward.

They both smiled comfortingly. "Of course!" Dan smiled. "What's your name?" The girl smiled shyly.

"Lilly," she grinned, seeming more comfortable when she realised they weren't annoyed that she had interupted them. They quickly took the picture and Lilly thanked them, but I must've been staring, because she looked at me and smiled slightly.

Dan and Phil seemed to realise I was there and turned around smiling.

"Carmen!" Phil exclaimed excitedly.

"Phil!" I said, just as excitedly, causing Dan and Lily to laugh. He fake pouted, causing the three of us to laugh even more. He huffed.

"You guys are mean," he said, crossing his arms like a five year old.

I finally managed to make myslef stop giggling, long enough to say "Aw, I'm sorry," before laughing again.

Dan, realising this conversation probably wasn't going anywhere, decided to step in.

"Lilly, this is Carmen, Carmen, this is Lilly," he introduced us, pointed at the correct person whenever he said a name. I smiled at her in what I hope was an inviting manner.

"Hi," I grinned.

"Hey," she said shyly. "I like your hair." I grinned at her.

"Thanks!" I replied. "Yours is amazing too, it reminds me of Gerard Way!" I said, hoping she realised it was a compliment. Her face lit up so I was assuming he knew who he was.

"That's what I was going for!" She exclaimed, clearly happy that I recognised it. I started fangirling and bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet.

"You like MCR?" I asked, though it was more of a statement, considering I could make a very well educated guess. She nodded frantically.

"They're my favourite band!" She said seeming happy. She then seemed to remember that Dan and Phil were there when we both noticed them awkwardly standing either side of us. "Sorry," she said, blushing. Phil shook his head smiling.

"No problem, we're glad Carmen's making friends!" He cooed, pinching my cheek jokingly. I swatted his hand away laughing.

"Shut up!" I laughed. "You're making me sound like a loser!"

Lilly laughed and looked down at her phone, frowning. "I have to go now," she informed us sadly. "It was great meeting you guys," she smiled before walking off.

 **Sorry its rubbish and ended really abrubtly but I'm reallllyyy tiered but I wanted to upload this so I'll probably just edit it tomorrow**  
 **~Scarlett**


	11. Chapter 11

Carmen's POV

"Is that all you needed?" Dan asked me. I surveyed the numerous bags in my hands, nodding slowly.

"I should hope so!" Phil laughed. "I've never understood how people can buy that much stuff in one day!" Dan and I both scoffed.

"Come on Phil," I laughed. "We both know that you could have easily spent the whole day buying everything in Lakeland!" Phil blushed slightly and we both laugh before beginning the walk back to their apartment.

Time seemed to slow down as I heard obnoxious laughter from across the street. I fought the urge to stop in my tracks, and continued to walk forward, the smile fading from my face. I attempted to cover my face with my hair, hoping the dark colour would blend in with Dan's t-shirt, beginning to shake.

Considering I was standing right next to him, almost shoulder to shoulder, Dan immediately noticed my change in mood and was quick to scan the area, looking for anything that could be upsetting me. His eyes fell on my sister and her friends.

"Carmen?" He whispered. "Is that your sister?" I contemplated lying, but realised that if I was going to be spending more time with the two of them, they would find out eventully. I nodded after a brief pause. "Hey," he said quietly. "Do you want me to talk to her?" He walked in front of me and crouched down, gently placing his hands on my shoulders.

I bit my lip, trying not to cry as I shook my head. "No," I whispered, my voice hoarse. Though it didn't matter whether or not I minded, because as soon as the words left my mouth, she called out my name and her and her friends began to cross the road to get to us. I was frozen in place as they neared us.

"Carmen!" She called, waving enthusiastically. I looked up at her through my curtain of hair and tried to smile, assuming she wanted me to play along with her 'Happy Families' charade. "Where have you been these past few days?" She asked, faking concern. "Mum and Dad have been worried sick!" I shrunk in on myself even further if it was possible, as I heard a few of her friends behind her trying (and failing) to cover up their laughter.

Dan coughed quietly behind me. "Oh, um, Rachael, this is Dan and Phil," I said quietly, pointing at both of them when appropriate. "I've been staying with them for the past few days." Rachael gave them both a quick once-over and her upper lip curled up in disgust.

"Why are you staying with... _Them,"_ she asked. "When you could be at home with people who love you?" One of her friends obviously gave up on controlling her laughter and the rest of the group was quick to copy. I began to scratch my arm, only stopping when I realised it would draw blood and unwanted questions.

I stuttered, trying to find something to say, until I was saved by Dan. "Well, as lovely as it was to meet you, we better get going, Death Note is on in fifteen minutes." I grinned, partially because we were finally getting away from my sister, and partially because we were going to watch Death Note. Rachael made a face and scoffed.

"Wow Carmen, I thought you'd never find anyone else who likes to watch those stupid cartoons," she mocked. I sighed, not wanting to fight back.

"Whatever," I muttered. "Bye." I said, and began to walk in what I hoped was the right direction. I heard footsteps behind me and soon, Dan and Phil appeared on either side of me.

"She was a bitch," Dan stated, causing me to laugh, Phil following suit after he knew I wasn't offended.

"Yeah," I agreed, still laughing. "One questions though, were you joking about Death Note?" Dan stopped walking and looking at me, face void of any emotion.

"I would never joke about Death Note," he said in a monotone voice, causing Phil and I to start laughing again.

 **Apologies again for not updating for so long,**  
 **~Scarlett**


	12. Chapter 12

We got back to the apartment just in time for Death Note, much to our relief. We had just enough time to make popcorn before it started and within five minutes of us walking through the front door, we were sitting in the sofa with a bag of popcorn each and blankets draped over us. Two episodes later, Dan suggested we ordered pizza since none of us could be bothered to cook.

"You know," Dan started. "I still haven't uploaded a video. Why don't we play a video game or something?" Phil nodded whilst chewing on a slice of pizza.

"We've not really done that before, but it could work." He replied. "What game do you have in mind?" Dan frowned, clearly having not thought about it yet.

He shrugged. "Sonic?" Phil nodded again. Soon, we had finished the pizza and while I threw away the boxes, Dan gathered his camera equipment and Phil set up the Xbox. The camera was ready fairly quickly and Dan and Phil were on the sofa ready to play.

I began to slip out of the room, hoping they wouldn't notice me.

"Woah, Carmen, where are you going?" Dan asked, frowning.

"I didn't want to accidentally get in the way," I stuttered. "So I was going to go up to the 'nerd room'." They both looked confused.

"Oh, when we said 'we', we meant you as well," Phil informed me.

"I-," I started, embarrassed. "I haven't played video games for a while, I'll be really bad." Blushing, I looked down at the floor.

"Don't be embarrassed," Dan said. "Everybody starts somewhere." I nodded quickly and sat down next to him.

Dan turned and smiled at the camera. "Hello internet-" but was cut off by Phil badly trying to hide his laughter. Dan and I frowned. "Um?" He asked.

Phil pointed at the camera, giggling childishly. "The camera isn't filming," he informed us. I giggled when Dan's face turned pink, realising Phil was right.

"Whatever," he scoffed. "I was testing my voice." Phil and I only laughed harder at his attempt to cover up his mistake. Quickly he walked back from the camera and sat down between me and Phil. "Take two," he laughed. "Hello internet! Today I have with me two special guests: AmazingPhil," he says, waving towards Phil's face. "And our friend Carmen," he said, once again waving his hands, but this time in front of me. I waved awkwardly at the camera and tried to smile.

"Hi," I said quietly.

"Today, were doing something we've never, ever, in the history of Danisnotonfire done before," he says dramatically, spreading his arms wide. "Except maybe once." Phil and I both laughed. "Anyway today were playing... Sonic! We only have two controllers, so one person at a time will be doing nothing, but hey, 'watch and learn' right?"

He and Phil both began to play, whilst I sat there and stared at the screen, not even knowing how to move forward, let alone kill all the bad people. Soon enough though, it was my turn to play against Phil.

"You're lucky you're against Phil, he might go easy on you," Dan said, whilst handing me a controller. I laughed.

"And you wouldn't?" I challenged him. He looked at me as if I'd just shot him.

"No way, I take this game _very_ seriously," he said, his face expressionless.

"Yeah," I countered. "But you're a huge softie. I've never played this so it's practically hard wired into your brain that you have to be nice and let me win." He glared playfully. I grinned and looked down at the controller, baffled. Dan shuffled closer to me and started pointing out what all the buttons did. He pointed at me. "I'm only helping because I don't want Phil to win." I smirked.

"Sure," I replied. I began trying to move, remembering the instructions Dan told me, finding it was easier than I had originally thought. My fingers flew over the keys and before I knew it I was finished. Before Phil. I grinned whilst Phil pouted.

"You got help from Dan," he pointed out.

"Sore loser," I coughed, causing Dan to laugh and Phil to pout again.

"This is bullying!" He says to the camera. Dan and I laugh.

"Well that seems like a good place to end the video," he says to the camera. "If you enjoyed, remember to like and subscribe and we might do another video like this again!" He then saluted at the camera and got up to turn it off.

"Phil," Dan started. "Can you help me take everything back to my bedroom?"

"Sure," he replied and gathered a few things in his arms. I sat awkwardly, not sure what to do while they weren't here. They returned a few minutes later and sat down on either side of me.

"Phil and I were wondering," Dan began. "Do you want to stay with us for a while? It's just that your sister is treating you horribly, she's beating you up for god's sake, and your parents can't be much better if they're not doing anything about it. Not to offend you or anything, I'm sure they could be lovely..." He trails off.

"I don't know," I said, my eyes cast downwards. "I don't want to be a burden on you guys." I but my lip as Dan put his arm around me, giving me an awkward hug.

"Hey, you're anything but a burden, okay?" He assured me.

"Yeah, we've loved having you around the past few days, and especially if it will keep you safe, we want you to be here." Phil added. I looked up at the two of them, still unsure.

"Are you sure?" I asked. They both nodded.

"One hundred percent," Dan said.

"Then I'd love to," I replied, smiling shyly, feeling wanted for the first time in years.


	13. Chapter 13

"Okay," Dan began. "Until we arrange something more permanent, your bedroom is the nerd room. There's the sofa bed for you to sleep on, obviously, and we cleared some space in the storage unit for your clothes and stuff." I grinned.

"Thanks," I replied. "Oh! Before I forget," I said, just as he was suit to leave the room. "What are you and Phil's usernames on youtube?" Dan blushed slightly and coughed.

"Mine's _danisnotonfire_ andPhil's is _amazingphil,_ " he informed me.

"Cool," I grinned. "Am I allowed to use the computer?" I asked, pointing at the mac behind me as if it wasn't obvious which one I was talking about.

"Of course," Dan smiled. "You live here too now, what's ours is your I guess. Just don't break it, obviously." I nodded, smiling when he said that I lived here.

I turned to the computer and opened youtube after he had left the room and first searched for Dan's channel, curious as to whether the video we filmed yesterday was up. Seeing that it was, I clicked on it. All the way through the video, I was smiling. Partially at Dan and Phil's jokes, and partially at the fact that he edited out my worst moments and actually made me look seem like a human being capable of socialising.

Looking underneath the video, I saw that the likes heavily outweighed the dislikes and decided to look at some of the comments too.

' _SophieIsPerfect: Does this Carmen person even know who Dan and Phil are? She honestly looked confused all the way through the video.'_

 _'Geewhiz167: Carmen seems okay, but she better not get in the way of phan.'_ I frowned at that, what was Phan? I decided to ask Dan later.

' _Punkr0ck3r: Who does this Carmen bitch think she is?'_ I frowned, what had I done?

I decided to check twitter and see if Dan and Phil had the same usernames. They did. I followed them and decided to quickly look through their most recent tweets.

 _' danisnotonefire: I've been looking through the comments on my most recent video and I'm honestly really disappointed in some of you. Carmen is our friend and she doesn't deserve the hate some of you are throwing at her.'_

 _' amazingphil: As much as we love you guys, Carmen is our friend and we can't sit by and say nothing when you send hate to her. Most of you are amazing, but those of you that have been saying bad things about her need to stop.'_

I smiled at their tweets and returned to watching some videos. About an hour later, I decided to head downstairs and try to socialise. Dan and Phil both looked up from where they were sitting on the sofa and smiled at me. I smiled back and sat down in the space in between them.

"Carmen," Dan started. "I don't know if you've seen the comments on the video I posted-"

"I have," I informed them.

"You just need to ignore them, okay?" Phil told me. "You're an amazing person, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with you the video. They're just jealous." I giggled and nodded.

"It's okay, they didn't really upset me anyway," I smiled. Dan smiled.

"That's the spirit!" He laughed whilst ruffling my hair.

"Fuck off," I laughed, pushing his hand away and attempting to control my hair.

"I was going to make pasta for dinner," Phil said. "Is that okay?"

I turned to Phil and said seriously, "You could make me pasta every day for the rest of my life and it would never not be okay."

He was silent for a moment. "I'll take that as a yes then." I grinned.

"While slave is making dinner," Dan joked, smiling at Phil over his shoulder. "What would you like to do?"

"We could listen to music?" I suggested, shrugging. Dan nodded and reached for his phone.

"Any preferences?" He asked. I thought for a moment.

"Danger Days?" I asked. He nodded again, flicking through things in his phone.

"Good choice," he said.

"Do you have any paper and pencils?" I asked, out of the blue.

"Um, yeah," Dan said. "Do you want me to get some?"

"If it's not too much trouble," I said, nodding. He got up and returned with a small stack of paper, a few pencils and a rubber. "Thanks," I grinned. I passed the time by doing a quick sketch. It was a comic book style drawing of me, Dan and Phil as superheros.

I suddenly became aware of someone snapping their fingers in front of my face. I looked up from my drawing, startled. Dan smiled at me.

"Dinner's ready," he informed me, before looking down at the drawing sitting in my lap. "Is that us?" He asked, smiling. I nodded, hoping that I wasn't blushing, but knowing that I was.

"Sorry, I just-" I began but was cut off by Dan.

"Don't be sorry, Carmen. This is amazing!" He said, causing my cheeks to get even hotter.

"Thanks," I said, smiling at my lap, before setting the drawing aside carefully and standing up, following Dan to the kitchen. The meal was simple but looked delicious. "Thanks Phil," I smiled. "This looks great!" Phil smiled back at me.

"Thanks Carmen," he replied. "I'm glad _someone_ appreciates my cooking skills." He said, looking pointedly at Dan. I giggled.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you guys earlier," I said, remembering something. "What's 'phan'?"


End file.
